Synopsis

Mattie is a timid housewife who has settled into a dull yet comfortable routine. She is confronted with a captivating alternative when she is paired with a new partner at a weekly bridge game. This stranger, Olivia, is everything Mattie is not: foreign, independent and alluring. But as the game ends, Olivia calmly leans across the table and whispers a shocking message.

Or at least that's what Mattie thinks she hears.

When Olivia begins to appear in all of Mattie's usual haunts, she's faced with a growing threat, as well as a fear that she could be losing her mind.

Press

This Slow burner really does have a great attention to building tension and is fantastically acted with an ending that will leave you on the edge of your seats...one of the most suspenseful little shorts I've seen in quite a while...

One of the best parts of October (aside from the obvious) is that many filmmakers make their short films available for online viewing during the month, and today we have an extra special treat for you... Continue Reading →

Short film The Bridge Partner is based on a story by Peter S. Beagle, but it's not the kind of fantasy usually associated with The Last Unicorn author. Instead, it's a psychological horror thriller about a timid woman (Beth Grant) whose glamorous new bridge partner (Sharon Lawrence) is... perhaps... pure evil.

"The Bridge Partner" is among the projects included on horror genre guru Kailey Marsh's 2016 BloodList of the most-liked screenplays and pilots in horror, thriller, dark comedy and sci-fi. The seventh annual list was announced Wednesday and is based on a survey of 74 industry executives.

"The Bridge Partner" is among the projects included on horror genre guru Kailey Marsh's 2016 BloodList of the most-liked screenplays and pilots in horror, thriller, dark comedy and sci-fi. The seventh annual list was announced Wednesday and is based on a survey of 74 industry executives.

I don’t want to spill any details, as the film relies on the power of suggestion which enables Olson to make an extremely simple story extremely engaging. I will however tell you that The Bridge Partner is an awesome piece of creepy work!

Short films matter. Vimeo wants you to know it. So do we. That's why every week we'll take a look at some of the short film world's best and brightest. This week, we bring you Gabriel Olson's psychological thriller The Bridge Partner .

BloodList 2016 is here, and this year, the list is filled with sinister stories based on real life, alien invasions, paranoia, and horrifying events in the woods. Founded in 2009 by literary manager and producer Kailey Marsh, BloodList compiles a list of the best screenplays in the 'dark' genres - horror, thriller, dark comedy, and science fiction - as voted on by industry professionals.

"The Bridge Partner" is among the projects included on horror genre guru Kailey Marsh's 2016 BloodList of the most-liked screenplays and pilots in horror, thriller, dark comedy and sci-fi. The seventh annual list was announced Wednesday and is based on a survey of 74 industry executives.

by Steve Pulaski Gabriel Olson's The Bridge Partner is a wonderful exercise in slowburn tension and impending horror, for the first few minutes of the twelve-minute short film basically let us know which direction this short will go; the trick is getting through that remaining twelve-or-so-minutes and emerging as safe and calm as possible.

The film explores what human beings do when confronted with real danger — do we trust our own instincts or the advice of those around us? The story uses an allegorical tale told by one character to another. “We had fun tackling the psychological dance between the two characters,” says Olson. “With the allegory of the sheep and dog in the story, the question became: Can a sheep become a dog, and vice versa? Sometimes we play the sheep in life and take a more passive or timid stance. Other times we’re the dog, capable of lashing out and standing up for ourselves. I loved the symbolism here.”

From torturous, crude surgeons to urban legends of the Black Eyed Kids, Screamfest 2015 yet again un-vaulted a flurry of diabolic short horror films at its recent 15th annual fright festival in Hollywood, California. But if there was one piece of work that teemed with terror amongst this mausoleum of madness, it was Gabriel Olson's 14-minute film THE BRIDGE PARTNER.

We've seen stalker stories with a crazed roommate, jilted lover, vengeful ex-con and even a super-fan entrapping their favourite author. But what happens when a timid housewife is jolted into a fight for survival-or her sanity-when her new weekly bridge partner whispers a threatening message in her ear.

Adapted from the award-winning short story by Peter S. Beagle, The Bridge Partner is a psychological thriller centered around Mattie Whalen, a timid housewife and member of a local bridge team. Mattie's never been very good, but her luck changes when a sophisticated new member becomes her new partner.

Gabriel Olson’s The Bridge Partner is an entertaining little thriller that features great performances from its three leads, Beth Grant, Sharon Lawrence and Robert Forster. In the film, Mattie believes her new bridge partner Olivia had whispered a very menacing threat in her ear. Did she really hear what she thinks she did or is her imagination getting the better of her? Based on a short story by Peter S. Beagle the film is amusing, at times suspenseful and in many cases intense.

The writing is among the best I’ve ever seen and the entire tone is comparable to that of the great Alfred Hitchcock. I’ve been a fan of Beth Grant’s for a while, she’s appeared in films like “The Artist”, “Donnie Darko” and “No Country For Old Men” as well as shows like “Everwood” and “Jericho”.

"The Bridge Partner" is among the projects included on horror genre guru Kailey Marsh's 2016 BloodList of the most-liked screenplays and pilots in horror, thriller, dark comedy and sci-fi. The seventh annual list was announced Wednesday and is based on a survey of 74 industry executives.

Photos

About The Filmmakers

Gabriel Olson

(Director / Screenwriter)

After graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Gabriel went to work as a creative assistant to one of Anonymous Content’s top directors, where he worked on dozens of commercial campaigns around the world, as well as the films 44 Inch Chest (Ray Winstone, Ian McShane and Tom Wilkinson) in London, and Henry’s Crime (Keanu Reeves, James Caan and Vera Farmiga), in New York, where he met producer Sean Barney. In 2010, he moved on to focus on directing full time, and was met with success when a Public Service Announcement he directed was selected as a 2010 AICP Show finalist. After that, Coca Cola’s marketing team awarded his Coke Zero spec first place and then it won the Overall Grand Prize at 2010’s Cannes Lions MOFILM Competition. He has gone on to work with major brands–Google, Petsmart, Relativity Media and Guitar Center to name a few. In 2013, Gabriel was selected for recognition in the prestigious SHOOT Magazine New Directors Showcase, and in 2014 his work with “Questlove” Jenkins for Guitar Center was short listed for a Clio Award. www.thisisgabriel.com

Sean Barney

(Producer)

Sean started his career assisting writer and director Sacha Gervasi, which eventually led to his involvement as an associate producer on the acclaimed documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil. Since then he has worked on the independent feature Henry’s Crime and the Academy Award® nominated film Hitchcock, as well as continued his work as a documentary producer with the film Off The Floor. Sean is the founder of the boutique production company Cameo Content. As a commercial producer he has worked with clients such as PetSmart, Mattel, Sony and Microsoft. www.seanbarney.com

Jason Michael Berman

(Executive Producer)

Jason’s films have debuted at premiere film festivals around the globe, including Sundance, Toronto, SXSW, Tribeca, Berlinale, and Edinburgh. In 2011, Berman was named by Variety as one of the Top Ten Producers to Watch, and in 2012, Deadline Hollywood named him as one of the Top Ten Producers to Watch at Sundance.
Most recently he had the film LITTLE ACCIDENTS starring Elizabeth Banks premier at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and recently wrapped FRANNY starring Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning. Gabriel and Jason met while attending USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where Jason also serves as an adjunct professor. Jason brings a wealth of experience and passion to our team and we couldn’t be happier to welcome into the family.

Peter S. Beagle

(Author of short story)

Peter S. Beagle is generally recognized within the field as America’s greatest living fantasist. After his first novel, A Fine and Private Place, he was named to a Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University. Peter followed this up with his best-known novel, The Last Unicorn, which has sold 6 million copies worldwide and been translated into 25 different languages.
In addition to eight novels, Peter has written many teleplays and screenplays (including the animated versions of The Lord of the Rings and The Last Unicorn, and the “Sarek” episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation); six nonfiction books (among them the classic travel memoir, I See By My Outfit; the libretto for one opera; and over 70 stories, novelettes, and novellas so far — including a sequel to The Last Unicorn called “Two Hearts,” which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. In October 2011 the World Fantasy Association honored Peter with their Lifetime Achievement Award.